Prepared but Not Ready
by RobinsReckoning
Summary: Warning: Character Death! "This was not the way he was meant to die. It's not like he ever really thought about how he would die; except in those moments right before he was going to. But every time that happened, he was on a mission, fighting a villain, doing something for the greater good. " K 'cause death.


Yes, this story is terrible. Yes, I'm posting it anyway.

For those of you who aren't the World's Greatest Detective, I don't own this. Cause you know, before I said this you thought I did. Yeah.

Warning(s): character death, terrible spelling and grammar, etc...

* * *

This was not the way he was meant to die. It's not like he ever really thought about how he would die; except in those moments right before he was going to. But every time that happened, he was on a mission, fighting a villain, doing something for the greater good. Every time he had this feeling that everything would be okay, that Batman would come or the team would and they'd patch him up. That life would go on. But Batman was already by his side, as good as dead. The team would be no help, because it wasn't Robin who needed help; it was Dick Grayson. The young acrobat coughed on the heavy smoke. A house fire, that would be what killed him. He desperately attempted to push the marble pillar off his broken legs, but to no avail. "Bruce!" He managed to chock out, shaking the unconscious body of his father with what little strength he had left. They would both die, one's body trapped and the other trapped by their body. The fire was getting closer, the flames hungrily licking at the boy's skin. He bit back a scream of agony.  
"Bruce, I know you can't hear me, but I'm going to thank you anyway. To thank you for all the wonderful things you did for me. For putting up with me, for helping me get Justice. For teaching me everything I know. For giving Robin life." His fist tightened on the shirt his mentor was wearing. He shook, shivering despite the fact he was burning to death. _'I'm scared,'_ he realised._ 'I'm not ready to die.'_

* * *

The team let out various noises indicating amusement at the sitcom they were watching. It varied from laughter to a slightly louder than normal exhale. The only laugh that was missing was the eerie cackle that Robin usually provided. But he was with Batman, so the group of teenagers didn't worry. They knew he'd be fine, he always was.

* * *

He predicted he had two minutes before he would die. It was agony, pure, undiluted agony as he was slowly roasted. He let himself scream in pain. But he couldn't give in, not yet. He had one last thing to do.  
He pulled up a screen on his wrist computer, thankful he still had it on. He hacked into the Batcomputer, deleting everything. Every file, everything that could possibly be used against the Justice League or the team. He tried one last time to contact someone, knowing that he couldn't, and even if he could, no one would get here in time. He was going to die anyway. The only thing he could access was the Batcomputer. He put one file back into the computer, so that there was that one file and that one file alone in the entire computer. His emergency file, one that he'd hoped he'd never need to show to anyone. The league would find it, and hopefully show the team. Despite the pain, the boy was able to smile. Let it never be said that the boy wonder wasn't prepared. He might not be ready for death, but he was prepared for it.

* * *

The team awoke to the sound of a speedster sobbing loudly. M'gann rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. "What's wrong?" She asked, rubbing small circle on his back. Artemis answered for him. "That." Someone turned the volume up on the T.V.  
_"It has been confirmed that all three residents of Wayne manor are dead. The cause of the fire is still unknown..."_  
"You're mourning over them? Seriously, a rich guy, a snobby kid and their butler?" Artemis sneered. Wally had never wanted to kill anyone so much in his entire life.

_"Now we have heard rumours that something was underneath Wayne manor. This has now been confirmed to be a secret, underground facility. The various items down there have lead police to believe that Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson were, in fact, Gotham's Batman and Robin."_

"Oh God..."  
"What?"  
"No, it can't be."  
"They're not really..."

Everyone was in shock, except Wally, who was still weeping loudly. It wasn't long before the rest of the team joined him. Even the boy of steel was letting streams of water run.

The world knew now. They knew who Batman was, who Robin was. The funerals were held, one for Batman and Robin, and one for Bruce, Dick, and Alfred. The entire league came for Batman and Robin. The bodies were to be buried the next day, at the other funeral, but the costumes were symbolically buried in separate coffins to the bodies. Several press members had been hospitalised afterwards, the heroes too distraught to out up with them.

The team came to the second funeral as well, along with the original seven, now six, members of the Justice League. The coffins were closed, and for that the team was grateful. None of them would have been able to stand seeing the charred bodies of their companion and his mentor. Each member came up one by one, placing a hand on top of the box and saying a few words.  
It was Wally's turn, and he managed to keep his breathing to a normal pace just long enough to talk.  
"You were too young, too smart, too nice, too good to die. As much as we hate to think about death, I guess we all kind of pictured ourselves dying for the cause, sacrificing ourselves for a noble cause. You worked too hard, suffered through too much to deserve this as your death. You were - are - my best friend, and I will miss you until the day I join you."  
Artemis was next.  
"I thought I knew you, but I didn't. I knew Robin, and I knew Dick Grayson, but I didn't know you. And I wish I did. And I'm going to hate myself everyday because of that."  
Kaldur spoke after.  
"You were the youngest, and still the most experienced of us. We were all looking forward to the day when you would take my place and become leader. And now that day will never come."  
A teary eyed M'gann walked up to the box.  
"You were like a little brother to me! And I'm going to miss you so much, everything about you. The way you played with words and knew when to be serious but could be relaxed too and- and-" the Martian couldn't continue, she was crying too much. Superboy hugged her, and muttered only, "Thank you for accepting me."

* * *

It had been a week since the death of their bird before the file was revealed to them. It was filled with pictures and a single document. The group of teenagers looked through the pictures sadly, when one came up. It was labeled, 'well I'm laughing,' and it was a picture of Dick Grayson and a very shocked Artemis. "He took that on my first day and said we'll laugh about this some day." The girl in question let out a forced laugh as she recounted the story. At last they pulled up the document.

_To Wally, M'gann, Conner, Artemis, and Kaldur_

_I hope you will never have to read this, but in this line of work, you probably will. If you're reading this, I'm either dead, or one of you have finally learnt how to hack. If it's the latter, then stop reading. But if it's the former, I hope I died a good death.  
I hope that before I die, I will get to tell you this in person, but if not, my name is Richard Grayson. Most people know me by Dick. I was part of a circus act called the Flying Graysons, until my parents died. Don't feel bad, now I'm with them again._

_Wally: You were the only one who knew who I was. You were my best friend.  
M'gann: You tried so hard to make everyone happy, and you succeeded.  
Conner: You're not a weapon, you're a person. And a really good one at that. Never let anyone ever tell you otherwise.  
Artemis: You were the other human. Before you came, I felt out of place among all my super-powered friends. Thank you.  
Kaldur: You were always meant to be the leader, you're just going to have to do it for a bit longer._

And so with less than two hundred words, the Boy Wonder sent a speedster, a Martian, a clone, an Atlantan, and a very hardy human into tears.


End file.
